Mullanpur: The mighty Mumbai Indians handled the nerves better on the big stage to outlast Gujarat Titans by 20 runs in a high-scoring IPL Eliminator despite a classy effort from Sai Sudharsan here on Friday.
Rohit Sharma (81 off 50) rode his luck to play a fine knock after Jonny Bairstow (47 off 22) made instant impact on his Mumbai Indians’ debut to push them to an imposing 228/5 in 20 overs.
Titans, who were sloppy in the field and with the ball, were able to take the game down to the wire with sensational batting from Sudharsan (80 off 49) before falling short at 208/6 to exit the tournament.
In the end, it was MI who won the key moments to advance in the competition. The victory took them to Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Sunday where they take
on Punjab Kings.
Despite heavy dew, overcoming a such a steep target in a knockout game needed a special effort which came from Sudharsan who put his team on course for an improbable chase until his dismissal in the 16th over.
Bumrah removed Washington Sundar (48 off 24) with his trademark yorker before Sudharsan missed scoop against Richard Gleeson to see his stumps dislodged, bringing Mumbai Indians back into the game.
While it lasted, it was a delight to see Sudharsan go about his business. In a game of pure muscle, Sudharsan was a picture of elegance and found gaps all around the park with pinpoint precision.
The equation came down to 36 from 12 balls with two left-handers Rahul Tewatia and Sherfane Rutherford in the middle. MI debutant Richard Gleeson bowled the final over with Titans needing 24 runs and he bowled three immaculate deliveries to ensure victory before hobbling out due to hamstring issue. In fact, Suryakumar Yadav, the vice-captain was marshalling resources in the final over and it was a brave punt to bring Gleeson in for three deliveries knowing that he is in considerable discomfort. Once the target was out of reach, Surya took him off and asked left-arm seamer Ashwini Kumar to complete formalities.
Earlier, Titans dropped three crucial catches -- two of Rohit (81 off 50 ) and one of Suryakumar Yadav (33 off 20) - and produced another ordinary effort with the ball in the knockout fixture.
Brief scores: MI: 228/5 in 20 overs (Rohit 81, Bairstow 47, Suryakumar 33; Sai Kishore 2/42); GT: 208/6 in 20 overs (Sudharsan 80, Sundar 48; Bumrah 1/27).